1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to rescue type vehicles including ambulances and the like which include a patient compartment in which is mounted at least one bed or stretcher which may be extended from the interior of the compartment to the exterior of the vehicle through access doors located both along the sides and rear of a vehicle.
2. History of the Related Art
Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and rescue units provide a necessary first line of medical support and treatment which often makes the difference between life and death. Such vehicles are equipped with the necessary life support equipment to enable rescue crews to provide on site emergency medical attention to accident victims and other patients.
Conventionally, ambulances and rescue vehicles include one or more cots or stretchers on which patients are supported during transport from the site of an emergency to a hospital. In older vehicles, the stretchers were simple hand carried cots or litters which were supported on brackets mounted within the vehicle. An example of such a patient support is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,099,020 to Campbell. In an effort to increase the ease of patient handling and to further facilitate the supporting of conventional type cots in an emergency vehicle, special loading ramps and mounting brackets have been designed for supporting the cots in such vehicles. In U.S. Pat. 3,204,998 to Stollenwerk an ambulance is disclosed which has cot supports which are extendable laterally through the side walls of the vehicle. The structures include cot supports which are mounted to rails which telescope horizontally outwardly with respect to the bed of the vehicle thereby allowing cots to be placed on the supports from the exterior of the vehicle with the cots thereafter being rolled into the interior of the vehicle being guided by the rails. Unfortunately, with this type of arrangement, it is necessary to include a rail structure along the floor of the vehicle which interferes with the movement of technicians and emergency personnel within the vehicle. In addition, it is necessary with such a structure to physically lift a patient to a vertical position where a cot may be supported by the extendable supports.
Recognizing that technicians and emergency personnel are often injured by lifting patients in and out of emergency vehicles, a number of patient supports or stretchers have been provided for emergency vehicles which allow the stretchers to be loaded from a ramp which extends from within the vehicles. Such systems conventionally include cot supports having a main frame which is telescoped rearwardly of the vehicle and which is accessed by auxiliary ramps incorporated with the cot supports. Some examples of this type of patient supports are disclosed in West German patent 2,244,739 of Apr. 26, 1973; U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,128 to Holling et al.; and French patent 1,558,138 of Jan. 13, 1969.
Further improvements to patient supports for emergency vehicles have been directed to stabilizing cots or stretchers within emergency vehicles so that road shocks and vibrations are reduced as much as possible to thereby increase patient comfort. In many of these devices, special hydraulic supports and other devices are utilized to cushion a stretcher or cot to reduce vibrations to the patient being supported. Some examples of such vehicle beds or stretchers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,526 to Vanderburgt et al. and West German patent 3,611,106 of Oct. 8, 1987.
Some additional examples of emergency vehicles and stretchers for emergency vehicles are disclosed in German patent 1,233,980 of Feb. 9, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,565 to Lehmann; German patent 1,491,267 of Oct. 2, 1969; West German patent 2,244,739 of Apr. 26, 1973; Russian patent 1,250,499 of Aug. 1986; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,200,583 to Busha and 4,210,355 to Legueu.